Kelly Shoppach
Kelly Brian Shoppach (pronounced SHOP-ick) (born April 29, 1980) is a Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Mets. Nicknamed Shop, Shoppach was traded to the Indians from the Boston Red Sox organization on January 28, 2006, as part of the same deal that saw outfielder Coco Crisp sent to Boston and highly regarded prospect Andy Marté sent to Cleveland. Shoppach was considered to be one of the better positional prospects in the Red Sox organization before the trade. Shoppach is a top-line defensive catcher with a strong arm and reliable glove. He hits the ball to all fields, and has excellent power for a catcher. High school Shoppach attended Brewer High School in White Settlement, Texas and was a student and a letterman in baseball and football. In football, he played running back and linebacker, was a three-time All-District selection and as a senior, he was named the District Most Valuable Player. College career Shoppach played three seasons at Baylor University, hitting .333 (168-for-505) with 26 home runs and 121 RBI. He recorded a .993 career fielding percentage, with seven errors in 953 total chances. As a junior in , Shoppach received the Johnny Bench Award as the nation's top collegiate catcher after hitting .397 with 12 home runs and 61 RBI in 69 games in his final college season. He also posted a .998 fielding percentage with only one error in 406 chances. In addition to being selected "Big 12 Player of the Year", Shoppach was named First Team All-America in 2001 by Baseball America, Baseball Weekly, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Minor league career In , Shoppach appeared in a career-best 101 games behind the plate for Pawtucket and threw out 35 of 101 potential base stealers (35 percent) on his way to a spot on the International League's end-of-season All-Star Team. He also set a single-season home run record for PawSox catchers with 21 and also hit one as a designated hitter. His 22 homers matched his previous career total over two years and 208 games. Shoppach added career bests with 62 runs scored and a .461 slugging percentage.47 of his 93 hits (51 percent) went for extra bases. Major League career On May 26, , Shoppach was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. He was hitless in 15 at-bats with seven strikeouts. He did better in 2006 after he was traded to Cleveland. He went 27 for 110. On June 26, 2007, Shoppach hit a PH 3-run walk off home run to defeat Oakland 8–5. On July 30, 2008, Shoppach became the second American League player in history, and eighth player overall in Major League Baseball, to record five extra-base hits in a game. He had three doubles and two home runs (including a game-tying HR in the ninth inning) against the Detroit Tigers. He came to bat twice in extra innings with a chance to get a sixth extra-base hit, but he was intentionally walked in the 10th and struck out in the 12th inning. The Indians lost, 14–12, in 13 innings. On April 16, 2009, Shoppach drove in the first ever run at the new Yankee Stadium; his fourth inning double driving in Ben Francisco. On July 26, 2010, Shoppach caught a no hitter thrown by Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays won 5-0 against the Detroit Tigers After the 2011 season, Shoppach was granted free agency and signed with his first team, the Boston Red Sox. During the 2012 season, Shoppach was traded to the New York Mets to be a platoon man for the Mets catchers. Trades On January 27, 2006, Shoppach was traded from the Red Sox to the Cleveland Indians, along with prospect Andy Marté, pitcher Guillermo Mota, a player to be named later, and cash considerations. The Indians in turn sent outfielder Coco Crisp, catcher Josh Bard, and pitcher David Riske. The Indians received minor league pitcher Randy Newsom from the Red Sox to complete the deal. On December 1, 2009, Shoppach was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher Mitch Talbot. On August 14, 2012, Shoppach was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Mets for a player to be named later. Awards *Portland Sea Dogs player of the year ( ) *International League All-Star ( ) *Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Month (April 2005) *2005 Pawtucket Red Sox Player of the Year References External links *SoxProspects.com Bio *Minor League Splits and Situational Stats Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:Cleveland Indians players Category:Tampa Bay Rays players Category:Major League Baseball catchers Category:Baylor University alumni Category:Baylor Bears baseball players Category:Players from Texas Category:People from Fort Worth, Texas Category:Sarasota Red Sox players Category:Portland Sea Dogs players Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players Category:Buffalo Bisons players Category:Durham Bulls players Category:Catchers Category:Players Category:New York Mets players